If your Business Model has a Hidden Bullshit Column, it won’t work: Remove it

I wanted to share this with everyone running or trying to raise a company. First of all, I am not running a conglomerate, but am running an organization in the education sector for the first time in my life and it has been 5 years, and WE ARE DOING WELL FOR OURSELVES and OUR CUSTOMERS 🙂 ….  People are happy. 

 If I used a CTRL + F function in my start up environment 5 years ago, I would find too many “MY’s” and running an organization full of “MY” is not easy.  It is Sine Curve that goes back and forth between rewards and  a lot of PAIN.

#My Company

#My Idea

#My Financial Models

#My Execution

#My Development

#My Admiration and reputation

#My Reputation ( Twice because it used to be very important 🙂 )

#My Financial Situation

 You know what was missing?

 #CUSTOMER NEEDS SOMETHING

#CREATE VALUE AND GIVE BACK

#MAKE PEOPLE ROCK

#HAVE A TEAM( This is important: I thought business models and systems will make people work :  There were people working in my company but the TEAM was missing)

My Career Progression in www.pythagurus.com

MY FIRST DESIGNATION IN MY COMPANY: CHIEF CRISIS OFFICER : ( Unofficial and not on the business card): First two years, my actions in my organization were primarily driven as a response to the quarterly numbers and the position was that of a CRISIS Manager. If we had a super amazing quarter, I would tend to take it easy, and if we were doomed in the next one, I had my ass on Fire, and I would work the things out to make the next quarter look brilliant again. My actions were always in response to the REVENUES. I was not a creator, but a survivor, or a REACTOR.  A failed quarter was also inacceptable for me. We did not have family business or a fixed income petrol pump: I belonged to a family of doctors,  I did not have my father when I started, and I am the only member responsible fetching bread for the family.  So, not earning enough for the entire family was “OUT OF QUESTION”. I am glad I am not married as I read in one of the posts on TRHS when the Girl asked “Hum Ghar Kab lenge J “. …. I am glad I started my company ..that helped me filter out the wrong women too btw…. ….  🙂 …The wrong ones asked “What does an entrepreneur do actually?” …. 🙂  ….

It reminded my of my time in Management consulting jobs..Right out of business school, I started in management consulting  before relocating to India: After spending 4 hours on a presentation for one of the healthcare clients, I asked my boss “ What does a management consultant do actually? “ 🙂  ….

Anyway…back….

FIRST PROMOTION: CHIEF ACTIONS OFFICER: SECOND ROLE: BE ON TOP: STOP BEING THE REACTOR: BE THE CREATOR: ALWAYS:. Now, the situation did not come first…a bad quarter did not have to inject actions in me…I built a mechanism I would use to induce discipline in myself. I started having monthly plan of actions, broke them down into weeks, and then started planning my actions in the beginning of every week. I ALWAYS HAD A PIPELINE OF THOUGHTS and TIMELINES OF PUTTING THOSE THOUGHTS INTO ACTION.  

I took an oath : Whatever I have planned, I will always execute it. I needed this OATH as I realized that a lot of times, when the time came to take action, I started analyzing too much, and half of the battle was lost in the thoughts. I had an excel sheet full of the brilliant ideas with the following categories ( Columns)

1. what is the nature of this idea?
2. What is the need for this idea? What is the gap that we are trying to bridge?
3. What are the key deliverables of this idea?
4. Who are the other people I need to execute this idea?
5. What are the specific actions I need to execute this idea?
6. When will I execute this idea?
7. The last column: “Did I do it? How did I fare in this idea?

Whenever I got an idea, I would just jot it down in that Ninja Excel Sheet( I named it Ninja Sheet).

Imagine, If I think of something on Monday afternoon, and I am packed with a lot of other things till Friday, I did not want to overanalyze the same idea again on Friday. As I said, new line of thought would kill your previous mindset( Most of the times)

Within 15 days of starting this exercise,  I had 100 things on that sheet. The ones I executed, I started marking them with different colors.

SECOND PROMOTION: CHIEF VALUE CREATOR: 300% Growth and 300% delivery

By this time, I knew how to not let a CRISIS erupt. I also knew how to execute a lot of things. The third stage: What was the platform that the entire organisation is built upon? 

Whatever we do, what is the REASON? 

You can try super Excel financial models, and world’s best HR models, and incentive structures and you will run a

Cost + Model( Meet your costs and take the extra layer home). But that cannot be the only purpose. IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS A BULLSHIT COLUMN “HIDDEN”, IT WON’T WORK

For Phenomenal Returns and Happiness: Be authentic and if the trouble of your consumer really means something to you, it will be reflected in the demeanor of your Customer relations team, your marketing team, your sales team. I am not suggesting that you start running a SOCIAL CAUSE NGO. No. But growth and honesty in business are not an either or proposition. Figure out where can you smell BULLSHIT in your models. Is there something you would like to hide from the customers? “REMOVE IT”…Seriously…Remove it as ONLY YOU THINK IT IS HIDDEN…and YOU ARE FOOLISH….It is not hidden although you would like to believe so.. 🙂 It is very evident…and is evident from the fact that “You are spending nights in calling yourself a “STRUGGLING” Entrepreneur” .. 

Weave the entire thread of your organisation on “CONSUMER”. DO SO ! 

HONESTLY: CREATE A MINDSET THAT YOU ARE DRIVEN FOR THE CUSTOMER. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WORK.

And do not put yourself in the customer’s shoe “ in order to Gain something out of it” …Do not have that “In order to” or else you will soon see yourself back into Garbage. Do not be too smart. The customer will sense it. They will smell the rat. “Play for the customer” in order to “Play for the customer”. Don’t be oversmart. 

Create something meaningful that the consumer needs. Under promise, over deliver. Sleep.

Your team will be closely KNIT and your people will be proud of themselves( Not proud of you…”Being Proud” of you will not matter).

Stay Happy ! Nothing else will matter one day !

CIAO